RWD 19xx-1984 DeVille and Fleetwood,1985-1996 Fleetwood and Brougham Forum Discussion, LOW MILEAGE 1979 Coupe deVille in Past Cadillac Vehicle Discussion; New to this forum... and to Cadillac ownership...
Meanwhile, I would like to share the incredible story behind this particular ...

New to this forum... and to Cadillac ownership...
Meanwhile, I would like to share the incredible story behind this particular 1979 Coupe deVille.

This car's most distinguishing characteristic is the fact that it has accumulated a total of only 580 original miles since new. It still SMELLS new inside.

The Cadillac was purchased new by my Great Aunt and Uncle. It seems she had always dreamed of owning such a luxurious automobile, and purchased the car after having sold a large parcel of land. The car was sold through Rodgers Cadillac on Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee - a dealership which no longer exists.

The original owners drove the car to their home, which speaks for the first 50 miles or so on the odometer. A return trip to the dealership for a clearcoat protectant accounts for an additional 100 miles. Beyond that, the owners reportedly drove the car just "a couple of times" to their son's house in Clinton, Tennessee... a round trip of approximately 140 miles. The mileage accounted for thus far brings us to roughly 430 miles... with another 132 miscellaneous miles being put on the odometer before the Cadillac was retired from service in late 1984 or early 1985 (per the last tag registered to the vehicle).

Although my Great Aunt truly loved the Cadillac, she never drove it much. Furthermore, her husband felt the car was just "too d@mn big" to drive on a regular basis. Thus, the car was simply parked in the garage of their modest ranch house where it became part of the furniture.

Over the years, it is said that my Great Aunt continued to take great pride in the Coupe deVille, often going to the garage to dust the finish and Armor-All The vinyl top. Furthermore, she took great pains to be sure her precious Cadillac was protected from the elements - and from curious eyes. The windows to the garage were shrouded in fabric remnants and covered with paper bags... A thick line of duct tape sealed the garage door to the concrete floor... and the latch to the garage door was broken, perhaps intentionally.

Following a lengthy illness, my Great Aunt passed away in May... leaving her home, and the Cadillac to her children. To settle her affairs, an estate sale was held a few weeks later. Her granddaughter informed me of the car's availability... and my wife accompanied me to the house for a closer look at the vehicle.

I can honestly say that it was (and remains) likely the most well-preserved car I have ever seen. After getting my wife's blessing, a friend and fellow car enthusiast quickly agreed to share ownership and expenses on the car, which we ended up purchasing for a more-than-reasonable price.

A few days after the sale, the Cadillac was taken by rollback to my home. Within a couple of weeks, my co-investor and I had dropped and drained the gas tank, changed the oil, replaced spark plugs and plug wires, put on fresh tires... and fired the engine for the first time in over two decades.

We were pleasantly surprised to find nearly everything was in perfect working order. The only issues include a nonfunctional power antenna... an air conditioner which has long since lost it's charge... and typical deterioration of the "body filler panels" on the rear of the car.

Once the car was again deemed roadworthy, we chose to make a test run to be sure things were indeed as good as they seemed. The car now shows just over 580 miles on the clock.

I dare say this car may be the lowest mileage example of a late-seventies Cadillac in this condition. The Coupe deVille is literally a brand new 33-year-old time machine complete with all the original paperwork.

Re: LOW MILEAGE 1979 Coupe deVille

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Re: LOW MILEAGE 1979 Coupe deVille

I'm usually skeptical about extremely low "original" mileage, because the odometer usually lies. One thing I check is the tires, because people don't normally replace them after 5,000 miles.

Your car appears to have Uniroyal PR-6's, which were OEM fitment for late '70's Ford, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac vehicles. PR-6's aren't really something that anyone would hold in new old stock for 30 years, and they certainly wouldn't have held up to 100,000 miles of use.

As it was a relative's car, I'm inclined to keep her in the family. That said, I have no doubt that this car is worth MUCH more than we have invested thus far.

I would love to drive her sparingly on occasion. Meanwhile, I realize her current and future value depends on very limited use, if any at all.

Funny... in the past I used to make derisive comments about car collectors who kept vehicles as museum pieces. Now, however, I have come to acknowledge some measure of virtue in keeping such a well-preserved vehicle off the road.

For now, she resides beneath a car cover in a cool, dry basement garage... while I fight the daily urge to cruise her down the highway as she was originally intended to be enjoyed.

I welcome your opinions and suggestions regarding this car's value, and what you might do if faced with such a unique circumstance.

Regarding the tires... I kept two of the originals. The others were so dry rotted that they held air for only a short time before a blowout occurred while the car was sitting in my garage. I can vouch for the mileage 100%... and if you were to see / smell / drive the Caddy, you would have zero doubt, regardless of tire accuracy.

Interesting that the fillers are bad. I thought that was caused by UV damage?

I think its also caused by climate change (hot summers followed by cold winters).
The ones on my lesabre disintegrated, and the car was garaged for 20+ years (with the occasional drive to gas it up, etc). The P.O. said he went to take it out of the garage after many months and he found the fillers in crumbled bits on the ground.

Re: LOW MILEAGE 1979 Coupe deVille

My condolences on your aunt's passing. Looks like she rightly took pride in her beautiful Cadillac. It's a magnificent example. I gotta say, I'm glad it's not mine, because I'd never be able to resist the urge to drive it!